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PENSACOLA, Fla. – As has been the case on a number of occasions this season, the West Florida men's basketball team was involved in a game that was decided in the final seconds. But the Argonauts fell short on Monday when West Georgia's Iakeem Alston made two free throws with 3.0 seconds left to give the visitors a 71-69 win at the UWF Field House.
 
UWF's Rashaan Benson got an open look from approximately 60 feet but it sailed wide as time expired. UWF (3-10, 2-8 Gulf South) dropped its sixth game decided by five points or less this season.
 
The setback spoiled an impressive comeback that saw the Argonauts eliminate a 14-point, second-half deficit, eventually taking the lead on five occasions with the last coming on a Jelani Pruitt layup with 3:32 left that put UWF ahead 64-63.
 
UWG pulled ahead 67-64 with a Steph Branch free throw and an Alston 3-pointer before UWF's Mario Stramaglia tied it with 1:01 to play as he made his fourth triple of the game. Branch followed with a layup off the glass to put the Wolves ahead by two with 30.8 to play. On the ensuing possession, Stramaglia's 3-point attempt from the corner was long but came right to Lendward Griffin who laid it in to tie the game at 69 with 10.1 left, setting up the final possession.
 
Pruitt finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals for UWF. It was his third-consecutive double double and saw him raise his scoring average to 11.4 points per game.
 
Stramaglia also had a strong game from outside, recording his seventh game with at least three treys before finishing with 14 points. Austin Somerfield added 12 points for the Argonauts.
 
UWG (10-5, 7-3) won its first road game in six tries this season, despite being held to a season-low point total – 22 points below their GSC-best 93.0 ppg. The Wolves shot 48 percent and were 13 of 20 from the charity stripe.
 
Alson led UWG with 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting. Branch had 15 points and nine boards.
 
With the score tied at 17-17 and 8:25 left in the first half, UWF went on an 18-4 run over the next 5:25 to take command of the game. The Wolves took a 39-25 lead into the intermission.
 
In the second half, UWF used runs of 5-0 and 12-1 to cut into the deficit, taking its first lead of the second half on a Deangelo Legrier free throw with 9:34 on the clock.
 
The game had 11 lead changes and 11 ties, with eight and five in the final 10 minutes, respectively.
 
UWF will return to action this Saturday when it opens a 3-game road trip in Valdosta, Ga. against Valdosta State (10-5, 6-4). Tip off at The Complex is set for 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.